Asia-Pacific Network: 9 September 1998
EDUCATION: FIJI MINISTER BACKS OFF INVESTIGATION CLAIMS
Fiji's Information Minister, Senator Filipe Bole, who launched into a blistering attack in the Senate on two New Zealand journalism lecturers at the regional University of the South Pacific a week ago, has backed off the investigation claims.
Special Correspondent
THE FIJI minister who launched into a blistering attack on two New Zealand journalism lecturers at the regional University of the South Pacific a week ago has backed away from some of his claims.
Information Minister Senator Filipe Bole was reported in Fiji news media
today as saying the Fiji Government was NOT carrying out an
investigation into journalism coordinator David Robie and media law
lecturer Ingrid Leary.
"As far as I'm concerned, government is not carrying out any
investigations," he said.
However, Assistant Information Minister Ratu Josefa Dimuri and Pacific Islands News Association president William Parkinson both
published renewed attacks on the Internet, claiming Robie and Leary had
breached their work permits.
Their attacks came as Robie and Leary defied the pressure on them with
new articles on the controversy. Leary wrote about the "engineered" work
permit issue in the Daily Post while Robie commented on the "gag threat" in his Internet site Café Pacific.
Both Dimuri's and Parkinson's statements were published together on the
Pacific Islands Report website at the East-West Centre in Hawaii which
raised questions about the impartiality of PINA and its independence from the Fiji ministry.
Parkinson said that PINA understood that some individuals and
organisations - members of PINA - had made complaints to the Fiji
Government alleging work permit breaches by the two New Zealanders.
He said the media complainants were "exercising their rights".
Robie had filed a complaint in April with the Fiji Media Council against
several PINA individuals over an earlier campaign against the two
lecturers.
Both Robie and Leary have denied allegations that they are in breach of
their permits. The university has also rejected the claims, saying the
pair were carrying out normal academic duties.
Robie also delivered a statement to Senator Bole last week denying the
minister's claims in the Senate. He said the senator was being misled by
"what appears to be an orchestrated campaign" against the journalism
programme.
Robie, who teaches Internet journalism at USP, and who has established
several media websites in the University of Papua New Guinea and at USP
in the past two years, also criticised PINA's role over the affair.
"I deplore Mr Parkinson's actions in this issue. He should be supporting
freedom of expression not malicious allegations," Robie said.
"Mr Parkinson has not even made contact with us to find out the truth.
"I have never earned money from websites and I have no business
interests in Fiji. It is simple as that."
The Journalism Students Association, representing some 55 students from
eight countries, has issued a statement declaring "total support" for
the lecturers.
"Since their arrival, David Robie and Ingrid Leary have brought more
professionalism to the course which will reflect on the students,"
student president Luisa Tora said.
"The JSA believes the whole saga involving the alleged breach of work
permits is motivated by personal vendettas within the media industry.
"It is unfortunate that some politicians have decided to take sides
without fully understanding all the issues involved."